Wheel.



Patented .luly 8, |902.

W'. T. M. BRUNNEMERY.

WHEEL.

IApplication led Jan. 14, 1901.)

(No Model.;

NrTEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM T. M. BRUNNEMER, OF BRADLEY, ILLINOIS.

WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 704,234, dated July 8,1902.

Application iiled January 14, 1901. Serial No. 43,175. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, VILLIAM T. M. BRUN- NEMER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Bradley, in the county of Kankakee and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wheels,of which the following is a specification, refer- "ence being had to theaccompanyingdrawin gs.

My invention relates to metal wheels such as are commonly used onagricultural implements, and has for its object to provide a wheel whichwill be of improved construction in that it will be less liable to breakand may be readily repaired if broken, particularly as regards theremoval and replacing of spokes, and also in that there will be lessloss through breakage in the process of manufacture.

A further Objectis to provide a wheel which may be more cheaplyconstructed without reducing its quality.

Still further objects are to provide an iinproved dust-proof hub-box andto provide an improved arrangement of wheel-cap by which the liabilityof collecting trash around the axle will be reduced, if not entirelyavoided.

I accomplish these objects as illustrated in the drawings and ashereinafter described.

That which I regard as new will be set forth in the claims.

Figure l is a partial side view of a wheel, illustrating my improvement.Fig. 2 is a vertical section. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the hub andaxle-spindle, illustrating the manner of securing the spokes. Figs, 4and 5 are sectional views of the halves of the hubs, showing the spokesin position. Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the halves of the hubsbrought together. Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the spoke, showing thespoke-socket before clamping; and Fig. 8 is a similar view showing thespoke clamped in position.

One part of my invention relates to the hub, or that part to which theinner ends of the spokes are secured, and the devices for securing thespokes thereto. Heretofore it has been customary to secure the spokes toa hub by securing the ends of the spokes nonremovably thereto either bycasting them in or by rivets or by fitting their ends into cylindricalpockets. In neither of such constructions has it been possible to removethe spokes after they were once secured in place and insert others, sothat after a certain number of the spokes were damaged the wheel was ofno further use and had to be thrown away. The casting of hubs withcylindrical pockets such as those above alluded to is expensive andgreatly increases'the cost of wheels where such pockets are employed. Inorder to avoid the objections above noted, I provide a wheel in whichthe hub is provided with retaining devices for the spokes which are soconstructed that the spokes may be clamped in them and will be firmlyheld, said retaining devices, however, being of such construction thatthe spokes may be released and removed when necessary and replaced byothers. To this end I provide the hub with a sufficient number ofspoke-sockets open at the side and provided with clamping ends, whichmay be pressed laterally around the spokes after they are insertedin thesockets to bind them firmly in place. In the best embodiment of myinvention the sockets are radially arranged, as shown. In order tofacilitate the manufacture of the hub, it is made in two sectionsadapted to lit together end to end to form the hub. Such sections aresecured upon a suitable box, upon which they are held rigidly andfirmly, so that in effect they become a single piece. Each of saidsections carries a number of spoke-sockets, usually one-half the socketsbeing carried by each hub-section, said sockets being placed equallydistant apart around the peripheries of the sections, so that when thesections are united to form the hub the sockets carried by one alternatewith those carried by the other. In order to more securely unite thesections,their opposing ends are made sinuous in outline or otherwisearranged to intermesh.

As regards the outer ends of the spokes it has heretofore been customaryto fit the ends of the spokes into suitable rivet-holes in the rim andthen rivet them. This frequently resultsin the breakage of the ends ofthe spokes, thereby destroying the spokes and increasing the expense ofmanufacturing the wheel. To avoid this objection I secure the outer endsof the spokes to the rim by separate rivets, which pass through the endsof the spokes and are secured in the rim, so that if a rivet breaks itmay be replaced by another, the spoke being unaffected. A furtherfeature IOC of my invention relates to the construction of the hub-boxand the mounting of the axlespindle therein, so as to secure adust-proof hub. As already described, the sections of the hub aresecured upon'a hub-box. Said hub-box is provided with a lcylindricalbearing in which the axle-spindle fits. Instead of making the hub-boxopen at both ends, as is customary, one end is closed,making itcupshaped, the closed end forming a bearing for the inner end of thespindle. The opposite end of the hub-box is screw-threaded and providedwith a cap which fits upon the axle adjacent to the spindle and screwsupon the screw-threaded portion of the hub-box, inclosing a collarsecured upon the spindle. By this construction when the cap is screwedupon the hub-box it bears against the axlecollar, holding theaxle-spindle in place and also tightly closing the hub-box, so that dustcannot enter it. The cap also bears against the adjacent section of thehub, binding such sections together, and against a peripheral flangecarried by the hub-box. The closed end of the hub-box is cylindrical inform and carries no projections, so that it is not apt to accumulaterubbish in traveling through a field.

Referring to the drawings for a more detailed description of myimprovements, 10 indicates the axle or hub box, 11 the axle, and 12 theaxle-spindle. The latter is shown in Fig. 2 as being fitted in theaxle-box, its inner end resting in the closed end 13 of the axle-box.The axlej] 1 is provided with a collar 14, fixedly secured thereto andadapted to bear against the open end of the axle-box 10, which is shownat 15 as externally screwthreaded.

16 indicates a peripheral Iiange carried by the axle-box 10 near theclosed end 13.

17 indicates a cap which is adapted to screw upon the screw-threads 15and is tted upon the axle 11, inclosing the collar 14. When the cap 17is screwed upon the axle, obviously it holds the axle in place andcompletely incloses the bearing, so that dust cannot enter.

18 19 indicate the sections of the hub, which are best shown in Figs. 4,5, and 6. As shown in Figs. 2 and 6, said sections are adapted to ttogether and fit also upon the axle-box 1 between the ange 1G and cap17, which hold said sections tightly together. The matching ends of thehub-sections are best shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

20 indicates the rim of the wheel, which in the construction shownisV-shaped in crosssection.

21 indicates the spoke-sockets, which, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, openat the side and are provided with .clamps 22, adapted to be pressed downupon the spoke, as illustrated in Fig. 8. The lower portions of thesockets 2l are of somewhat greater diameter than the upper portionsthereof to receive the enlarged heads 23 of the spokes 24. The clamps 22embrace the spokes 24 above the heads 23, so that when such clamps arepressed down upon the' spokes the spokes cannot be pulled out of placeby endwise movement. The lheads 23 rest upon the hubs, and by enlargingthem broad supports are formed for the spokes, thereby strengthening thewheel. As shown in Figs. 4, 5, and (i, the open side of eachspoke-socket lies on the side away from the hub-section which abutsagainst the other hubsection,by which arrangement the clamps are moreaccessible andthe removal and replacing of spokes may be moreconveniently accomplished. The spoke-sockets may be placed at anydesired point on their respec-v tive hub-sections to increase or reducethe extent to which the spokes are staggered. It will be noted also, asshown in Fig. 3, each hub-section is provided with an equal numberofspoke-sockets arranged equally distant apart and that the sockets of onehub-section alternate with those of the other when thehub-sectionsarebroughttogether. While this arrangement is desirable and benecial, Ido not restrict lnyself to it, as my invention includes otherarrangements of the spokesockets.

As shown in Fig. 2, the outer ends of the spokes are secured by rivets25 to the wheelrim 20. To this end the outer ends of the spokes are bentso as to fit squarely against that part of the rim to which they are tobe secured and are pierced to receive the rivets, which are then passedthrough them and riveted to the rim, as shown, the heads of the rivetsbeing on the inside. It will also be noted from an inspection of Fig. 2that the outer ends of the spokes are secured alternately to oppositefaces of the rim, giving the outer ends of the spokes a staggeredelfect. I have found this arrangement of the spokes to be much superiorto prior constructions, in which the spokes have been secured in theangle of the rim.

When the parts of the wheel are being assembled, the inner ends of thespokes are fitted in their sockets by a sidewise movement, after whichthe clamps 22 are pressed down around the spokes above their heads. Toremove the spokes from the hub, it is only necessary to press back theclamps, which are made of malleable iron or other suitable material. Itwill thus be seen that the parts of the wheel may be readily assembledand separated and that the liability of loss in manufacture is slight.The cost of manufacture of the hub is also greatly reduced, since theWork of casting the hub-sections and the liability of loss inmanufacture of the hub-sections are much less than in priorconstructions.

Iwish it to be understood that my invention is not restricted to thespecific details of the wheel described and illustrated except in so faras such details are particularly claimed.

That which I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

IOO

l. A wheel composed of a rim, a hub consisting of separable sectionsfitted together, means for holding said sections together, a series ofindependent, spoke-sockets carried by each ot' said sections, saidsockets having laterally-bendable clamping devices and spokes secured insaid spoke-sockets and to the rim.

2. A Wheel, consisting of a rim, a hub composed of separable sections, aseries of independent radial spokesockets carried by each of saidsections, each of said sockets having a clamp, means for holding saidsections together, and spokes secured in said sockets and to the rim.

3. A wheel, consisting of a rim, ahub composed of separable interlockingsections, a hub-box upon which said sections are iitted, said box havinga stop near one end against which one of said sections bears, meansbinding said sections together and against said stop, a series ofspoke-sockets carried by each of said sections, and spokes secured insaid sockets and to the rim, substantially as described.

4. A Wheel, consisting of a rim, a hub-box having a peripheral iiange,hub-sections tted on said b X, one of said sections bearing against saidiiange, a cap secured on the end of the box and arranged to bear againstthe other hub-section, a series of independent spoke-sockets carried byeach of said sections, and spokes secured in said sockets and to therim.

5. The combination of a hub-box, closed at one end and screw-threaded atthe other end an axle having a spindle projecting into said hub-box andcarrying a collar, a cap iitted upon said axle andscrewed vupon the openend of said hub-box, said cap inclosing said collar, a peripheral flangecarried by the hub box and a hub on the hub-box between said flange andcollar, the inner edge of said collar being arranged to bear againstsaid hub and bind it against said collar.

6. A Wheel, comprising a rim, a hub having on its peripheryspoke-sockets, said sockets being enlarged near the hub and beingopen atthe sides to the full depth of the sockets to permit the introductionand removal of the spokes by a lateral movement, spokes having theirouter ends secured to the rim, their inner ends having enlarged headswhich it in said sockets and abut against the bot= toms thereof, wherebythe end thrust of said spokes is directed against the periphery of thehub, and clamps carried by the hub and bendable laterally around thestems of said spokes for securing them in the hub subst-an; tiaily asdescribed. y

WILLIAM T. M. BRUNNEMER.

Vitnesses:

W. H. JOSEPH, F. W. BICKNELL.

